Bus Stop to a Worse Place
by The Protagonist
Summary: A young boy says goodbye to his home and the people who live there.


"So, son, I guess this is goodbye." Dad looked at me with a solemn expression and gave me something of a tough hug. "Make me proud at Buxton Ridge."

"But I wanna go to tennis camp with Bobby!" I sniffled and I could feel mucus coming up from my throat.

My dad sighed and looked me in the eye. "Well son, sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do. It makes us stronger. Ah, anyway, it's for sissies." My dad playfully punched me in the shoulder.

That didn't help _me _any! "No it isn't! And why couldn't I have a cat? Because it's for sissies! But of course, Sheryl gets to have one!" Okay, so I was throwing a fit, but he was being extremely unfair.

"Well, your sister has a certain amount of er, _responsibility_. Son, you managed to kill both your goldfish and all eight of your birds in one day." My dad sighed and continued. "Anyway, my friend Captain Ellenborgen will be there and he's uh, an okay guy."

"He has one thumb." I said and kicked my duffel bag. 

"Son, what did I say about people?"

"It takes all kinds." And I looked down atmy feet, feeling ashamed. Then the worst thing happened, Sheryl, my older sister came out of the car, a 1954 DeSoto, with Mortimer, her new cat in her arms.

"Bye bro. Mortimer and I sure _will _miss you. Dad can I have his room? I need somewhere to put all my stuff."

"No, Sheryl. Your brother will be coming home for vacations and he needs somewhere to sleep."

"Oh come on." Sheryl pouted and my dad pointed her inside. Then my mom came gallivanting outside the DeSoto to the driveway.

"Bye, sweet-pea. Oh, Paul are you sure you want him to go _there_?" My mother looked at my dad with concern.

"Ruth, he's got to learn." My dad looked at her with his "that is final" face. "His uh, behavioral issues. Military school'll sort 'em out." Dad said in a lower voice.

"Fine." My mother said with a pout and guided herself and Sheryl back to the car.

"Women, who can figure 'em?" Dad said with a booming voice.

"I don't wanna go!" I protested. "I don't want to go to military school! I don't want to make you proud! I just wanna go to tennis camp! I wanna be noticed like Sheryl! I wanna be the one Mom goes to first when I hurt myself, _not_ her! I wanna be noticed! I don't wanna go! I don't wanna go! I don't…"

"Jacob Ivan Morgendorffer, this is exactly why you are going to Buxton Ridge, your behavior is appalling. Anyway, go there and make us all proud!" With that, my father pushed me into the green bus that held other boys destined to the same fate as me- Buxton Ridge Military Academy- a worse place. "Just grow up a bit, Jake, then you'll come back."

Notes: I did it! This is pretty much a companion piece to my fic, "Of Independence and Dependence", which gives a look into Helen's past. This one does the same with Jake's past but also lets us meet Sheryl, Jake's sister (whose existence was hinted at when Ruth said "he paid me only fifty dollars a week for raising his **_children_**", the plural word) and Mad-Dog Morgendorffer, who I just gave the real name of Paul and I showed him in a different light, the father who was just trying to raise his whiny son. I kind of think Jake was somewhat a brat and thought the world revolved around him and when Mad-Dog announced it didn't he got mad. I would think that Ruth would be one to favor Jake because she was wrapped around his little finger. I'm not saying Jake is evil, but maybe he is actually Quinn's father in that sense and maybe Helen is more Daria's mother in the same sense. But then, another issue arises at the end about siblings: why has Sheryl Morgendorffer or any sibling of Jake's made an appearance or had a strong mentioning on the show? There are several explanations. One might be they died or maybe lived far away. My money's on the latter because the former has a stronger chance of mention.

Disclaimers: MTV, Noggin/The-N, and Viacom International own Daria. Actually, technically, I think those are all one and the same. Oh well. The characters and places I use in this fanfic belong to them, not me and I am writing this fanfic for personal amusement, definitely not profit.


End file.
